Vacuum cleaner power head including volute and vacuum cleaner including same

ABSTRACT

A vacuum cleaner includes a canister defining a debris chamber, a power head mounted to a top of the canister, a motor connectable to a power source, and an impeller connected to the motor and operable to generate air flow upon operation of the motor. The power head includes a housing that includes an upper wall, a lower wall, a radial outer sidewall, and a volute that defines a volute chamber. A first portion of the upper wall and a first portion of the lower wall define an impeller chamber. A second portion of the upper wall, a second portion of the lower wall, and the sidewall define a flow passage that extends from the impeller chamber to the volute chamber. The volute is disposed radially outward from the flow passage and includes a lower wall that extends radially outward from the sidewall and around the perimeter of the sidewall.

FIELD

The field of the disclosure relates generally to vacuum cleaners and, more particularly, to vacuum cleaner power heads including a volute.

BACKGROUND

Some vacuum appliances, in particular vacuum cleaners, include lid-mounted motors that facilitate the movement of air using a motor and an impeller connected to the motor. Some vacuum cleaners also include volutes to facilitate airflow to an outlet of the vacuum cleaner. Vacuum cleaner volute design can significantly impact the performance and operation of a vacuum cleaner, particularly with respect to noise generation and motor efficiency. For example, some volute designs may result in relatively inefficient performance and contribute to high noise levels. Additionally, some volute designs may require assembly of numerous, separately constructed parts, which adversely affects the overall cost of vacuum cleaner manufacture.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a vacuum cleaner includes a canister defining a debris chamber, a power head mounted to a top of the canister, a motor connectable to a power source, and an impeller connected to the motor. The power head includes a housing that includes an upper wall, a lower wall, a radial outer sidewall, and a volute that defines a volute chamber. A first portion of the upper wall and a first portion of the lower wall define an impeller chamber. A second portion of the upper wall, a second portion of the lower wall, and the sidewall define a flow passage that extends from the impeller chamber to the volute chamber. The impeller is disposed within the impeller chamber, and is operable to generate air flow through the volute chamber upon operation of the motor. The volute is disposed radially outward from the flow passage and includes a lower wall that extends radially outward from the sidewall and around the perimeter of the sidewall.

In another aspect, a power head for a vacuum cleaner includes a housing including an upper wall, a lower wall, a radial outer sidewall, and a volute. The volute defines a volute chamber. The upper and lower walls define an impeller chamber. The upper wall, the lower wall, and the sidewall define a flow passage that extends from the impeller chamber to the volute chamber. The power head further includes a motor mounted to one of the upper wall and the lower wall, and an impeller connected to the motor and disposed within the impeller chamber. The volute is disposed radially outward from the flow passage and includes a lower wall that extends radially outward from the sidewall and around the perimeter of the sidewall.

Various refinements exist of the features noted in relation to the above-mentioned aspects of the present disclosure. Further features may also be incorporated in the above-mentioned aspects of the present disclosure as well. These refinements and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. For instance, various features discussed below in relation to any of the illustrated embodiments of the present disclosure may be incorporated into any of the above-described aspects of the present disclosure, alone or in any combination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1, with a partial cut-away showing the interior of the vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a housing of the vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an upper shell included in the housing of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a portion of a housing suitable for use with the vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a portion of a housing for a vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a portion of a housing for a vacuum cleaner.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example vacuum cleaner 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 100 includes a collection drum or canister 102 defining an inlet 104, caster feet and casters 106 mounted on a bottom end 108 of the canister 102, and a power head 110 removably mounted to a top end 112 of the canister 102. The power head 110 is removably attached (e.g., via a hinge mechanism or latches 114 a and 114 b) to the canister 102 so that the power head 110 can be readily removed so as to empty debris or liquids contained within the canister 102. The power head 110 includes a housing 116 and, as shown in FIG. 2, a motor 200 and a fan or impeller 202 (collectively referred to as an impeller assembly 204) located within the housing 116. The impeller assembly 204 is operable to generate airflow through the canister 102 from the inlet 104 to an outlet 206 (shown in FIG. 2) so as to draw solid debris, liquid, or both into a debris chamber 208 (shown in FIG. 2) defined by the canister 102. In the example embodiment, the inlet 104 is defined by the canister 102, and the outlet 206 is defined by the power head 110. In other embodiments, the inlet 104 and the outlet 206 may be defined by any suitable portion of the vacuum cleaner 100 that enables the vacuum cleaner 100 to function as described herein. In some embodiments, for example, the inlet 104 may be defined by the power head 110.

FIG. 2 is a partial cut-away view of the vacuum cleaner 100 of FIG. 1. As noted above, the vacuum cleaner 100 includes the impeller assembly 204, which is connected to a top of the canister 102. The impeller assembly 204 is housed within the power head housing 116, and is operable to generate air flow through the canister 102 from the inlet 104 to the outlet 206.

In the illustrated embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 100 further includes a filter assembly 210 connected to, and depending downward from, the power head 110 and into the debris chamber 208 to filter debris. In operation, when the motor 200 is energized, air flows into the canister 102 through the vacuum inlet 104, through the filter assembly 210, and into the power head 110 through an air inlet 212, before being exhausted back into an environment surrounding the vacuum cleaner 100 through the outlet 206. This vacuum air flow pattern is illustrated generally by the arrows in FIG. 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the motor 200 is connectable to a power source by means of a power cord 214.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the power head housing 116 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 116 defines an impeller chamber 301, a volute chamber 302, and a flow passage 304 that extends from the impeller chamber 301 to the volute chamber 302. More specifically, the housing 116 includes an upper wall 306, a lower wall 308, a radial outer sidewall 310, and a volute 312. A first, radial inner portion 314 of the upper wall 306 and a first, radial inner portion 316 of the lower wall 308 define the impeller chamber 301. A second, radial outer portion 318 of the upper wall 306, a second, radial outer portion 320 of the lower wall 308, and the radial outer sidewall 310 collectively define the flow passage 304. The volute 312 defines the volute chamber 302.

As shown in FIG. 3, the impeller 202 is connected to the motor 200 and is disposed in the impeller chamber 301. The impeller 202 is operable to rotate about a rotational axis and generate air flow through the volute chamber 302 upon operation of the motor 200. In the illustrated embodiment, the motor 200 is mounted to the upper wall 306. In other embodiments, the motor 200 may be mounted to any other suitable portion of the housing 116, such as the lower wall 308. In some embodiments, the filter assembly 210 (FIG. 2) depends from the lower wall 308 and extends into the debris chamber 208 to filter debris.

The volute 312 is disposed radially outward from the flow passage 304 and includes a volute lower wall 326 that extends radially outward from the radial outer sidewall 310 and around the perimeter of the radial outer sidewall 310. Further, in the illustrated embodiment, the volute 312 joins the upper wall 306 along a radial outer edge 330 of the upper wall 306 and extends circumferentially around the upper wall 306.

The volute 312 defines a volute chamber inlet 328 through which air flow from the flow passage 304 enters the volute chamber 302. The volute chamber inlet 328 is located along a radial inner portion of the volute 312 such that air flow through the flow passage 304 is directed into the volute chamber 302 through the volute chamber inlet 328 and radially outward from the flow passage 304.

In the illustrated embodiment, the volute 312 and the impeller 202 are arranged such that the impeller 202 is located entirely on a first side of a horizontal plane that is orthogonal to the impeller rotational axis, and the volute chamber 302 is located entirely on a second side of the horizontal plane. This configuration, which has the effect of vertically separating the impeller 202 from the volute 312, has the benefit of reducing the amount of audible noise produced by the vacuum cleaner 100 during operation, as evidenced by the data shown in Table 1. Table 1 lists noise performance data for two housing design examples. Example 1 corresponds to the housing design shown in FIG. 6, in which the impeller chamber 602 is located in the same horizontal plane as the volute 604, and thus is not vertically separated from the volute 604 or the volute outlet. Example 2 corresponds to the housing design shown in FIG. 3, in which the impeller 202 and impeller chamber 301 are vertically offset from the volute 312, as described above and shown in FIG. 3. Measured noise output of vacuum cleaners incorporating the housing design of Example 1 was 87.6 decibels (dB), whereas, measured noise output of vacuum cleaners incorporating the housing design of Example 2 was 84.8 dBs. Noise measurements were obtained according to ASTM Standard F1334-14, “Standard Test Method for Determining A-Weighted Sound Power Level of Vacuum Cleaners.”

TABLE 1 Example Design Noise (dB) Example 1 87.6 Example 2 84.8

The flow passage 304 has a height extending form the lower wall 308 to the upper wall 306. In the illustrated embodiment, the height of the flow passage 304 is substantially constant from the impeller chamber 301 to the volute chamber 302 along the horizontal portion of the flow passage 304. The substantially constant height of the flow passage 304 facilitates reducing turbulent airflow and minimizing generation of vortices, thereby improving vacuum cleaner performance.

In the illustrated embodiment, the radial outer sidewall 310 includes a lip 332 that extends vertically beyond the volute lower wall 326. In some embodiments, the lip 332 facilitates maintaining directional airflow through the volute 312 and preventing airflow back into flow passage 304, thereby reducing turbulent airflow and improving vacuum cleaner performance. In other embodiments, the lip 332 may be omitted.

In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 116 includes an upper shell 322 and a lower shell 324 joined to the upper shell 322 such that the flow passage 304 and the volute 312 are defined by the upper shell 322 and the lower shell 324. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper shell 322 includes the upper wall 306 and an upper half or section of the volute 312. The lower shell 324 includes the lower wall 308, the radial outer sidewall 310, the volute lower wall 326, and the lip 332. In some embodiments, the upper shell 322 and the lower shell 324 are each manufactured as a single piece, thereby requiring only two housing pieces to form the impeller chamber 301, the flow passage 304, and the volute 312. In some embodiments, the upper shell 322 and the lower shell 324 are constructed of injection-molded plastic. In other embodiments, the upper shell 322 and the lower shell 324 may be formed from any suitable material that enables the vacuum cleaner 100 to function as described herein.

In the illustrated embodiment, the lower wall 308 joins the radial outer sidewall 310 along a rounded corner segment 334. The rounded corner segment 334 may have any suitable radius of curvature that enables the vacuum cleaner 100 to function as described herein. In some embodiments, the rounded corner segment 334 has a radius of curvature between 0.25 inches and 1.0 inches. In other embodiments, the lower wall 308 joins the radial outer sidewall 310 at an angle, such as a 90° angle. In the illustrated embodiment, the rounded corner segment 334 is defined only by the lower shell 324. In other embodiments, the rounded corner segment 334 may be defined by both the upper shell 322 and lower shell 324 (see, for example, FIG. 5).

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the upper shell 322. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper shell 322 includes an upper half or section of the volute 312, the upper wall 306, the radial inner portion 314 of the upper wall 306, and the radial outer portion 318 of the upper wall 306. The volute 312 defines the outlet 206, as previously shown in FIG. 2. The volute chamber 302 (FIG. 3) has a cross-sectional area that increases as the volute chamber 302 extends circumferentially toward the outlet 206. The outlet 206 is configured to be in fluid communication with the inlet 104 of FIGS. 1 and 2 such that the impeller 202 of FIG. 2 is operable to generate air flow from the inlet 104 of FIG. 1, through the volute chamber 302, and to the outlet 206.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a portion of another embodiment of a power head housing 500 suitable for use with the vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1. Similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the housing 500 illustrated in FIG. 5 includes an impeller chamber 501, a volute chamber 502, a flow passage 504, an upper wall 506, a lower wall 508, a radial outer sidewall 510, a volute 512, an upper shell 522, a lower shell 524, and a lip 534. In the illustrated embodiment, the volute 512 joins the upper wall 506 along a rounded radial outer edge 532 of the upper wall 506, and extends circumferentially around the upper wall 506. In the illustrated embodiment, the lower wall 508 joins the radial outer sidewall 510 along a rounded corner segment 536 including a first curved segment 538 defined by the lower shell 524, and a second curved segment 540 defined by the upper shell 522.

Table 2 lists volute design performance data for six example volute designs. Example 1 corresponds to the housing design shown in FIG. 6. Example 2 corresponds to the housing design shown in FIG. 3. Example 3 corresponds to the housing design shown in FIG. 7. Example 4 corresponds to a housing design substantially similar to the housing design shown in FIG. 3, except the lip 332 is omitted. Example 5 corresponds to the housing design shown in FIG. 5. Example 6 corresponds to a housing design substantially similar to the housing design shown in FIG. 5, except the lip 534 is omitted.

Each design was tested using identical motors and impellers. Performance characteristics of each design were collected according to ASTM Standard F2105-11, “Standard Test Method for Measuring Air Performance Characteristics of Vacuum Cleaner Motor/Fan Systems.”

TABLE 2 Max Air Air Max Max Effi- Flow Pressure Current Power ciency (ft³/ (inches Air Noise (amps) (Watts) (%) minute) water) Watts (dB) Example 1 12.1 1368 29.8 205.7 52.3 366 87.6 Example 2 12.5 1379 29.8 199.8 57.4 364 84.8 Example 3 12.5 1410 21.2 158.3 47.1 270 81.8 Example 4 12.3 1394 29.6 197.8 56.1 362 84.9 Example 5 12.6 1432 29.3 201.6 54.9 366 85.4 Example 6 12.3 1396 29.5 202.0 53.5 365 85.4

As shown in Table 2, the designs of Examples 2 and 4-6 all have greater maximum efficiencies, greater volumetric air flow, and greater air pressure as compared to Example 3. The design of Example 1, which includes an impeller in-line with the volute, has comparable efficiency and air flow characteristics as Examples 2 and 4-6, but a greater noise output for reasons discussed previously. The designs of Examples 2 and 4-6 thereby maintain the benefits of greater maximum efficiency, greater airflow, and greater air pressure as compared to Example 3, while still generating less noise than the design of Example 1. Thus, the housing designs of the present disclosure provide improvements in vacuum cleaner operation, particularly with respect to efficiency, airflow, air pressure, and noise reduction. In addition, embodiments of the power head housings and volute designs can be incorporated into vacuum cleaners without adversely affecting overall manufacturing costs because the volutes can be constructed of injection molded plastic with only two separately constructed parts.

Example embodiments of vacuum cleaning systems are described above in detail. The vacuum cleaning systems are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, but rather, components of the vacuum cleaning systems may be used independently and separately from other components described herein. For example, the volutes described herein may be used with a variety of vacuum cleaning systems, including and without limitation, vehicular vacuum cleaning systems, wet/dry vacuum cleaners, canister vacuum cleaners, upright vacuum cleaners, and backpack vacuum cleaners. Embodiments disclosed enable enhanced vacuum cleaner performance without requiring significant modifications to other components of a vacuum cleaner. Thus, the disclosed volutes may be readily incorporated into existing vacuum cleaner designs.

As used herein, the terms “about,” “substantially,” “essentially” and “approximately” when used in conjunction with ranges of dimensions, concentrations, temperatures or other physical or chemical properties or characteristics is meant to cover variations that may exist in the upper and/or lower limits of the ranges of the properties or characteristics, including, for example, variations resulting from rounding, measurement methodology or other statistical variation.

When introducing elements of the present disclosure or the embodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. The use of terms indicating a particular orientation (e.g., “top”, “bottom”, “side”, etc.) is for convenience of description and does not require any particular orientation of the item described.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions and methods without departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawing[s] shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. 

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising: a canister defining a debris chamber; a power head mounted to a top of the canister and including a housing that includes an upper wall, a lower wall, a radial outer sidewall, and a volute defining a volute chamber, wherein a first portion of the upper wall and a first portion of the lower wall define an impeller chamber, and wherein a second portion of the upper wall, a second portion of the lower wall, and the sidewall define a flow passage that extends from the impeller chamber to the volute chamber; a motor connectable to a power source; and an impeller connected to the motor and disposed within the impeller chamber, the impeller operable to generate air flow through the volute chamber upon operation of the motor; wherein the volute is disposed radially outward from the flow passage and includes a lower wall that extends radially outward from the sidewall and around the perimeter of the sidewall.
 2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further including a filter depending from the housing lower wall, wherein the filter extends into the debris chamber to filter debris.
 3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein one of the canister and the power head defines an inlet, the volute defines an outlet, and the impeller is operable to generate air flow from the inlet, through the volute chamber, and to the outlet.
 4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the volute defines a volute chamber inlet through which air flow from the flow passage enters the volute chamber, wherein the volute chamber inlet is located along a radial inner portion of the volute such that air flow through the flow passage is directed into the volute chamber through the volute chamber inlet and radially outward from the flow passage.
 5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the flow passage has a height extending from the lower wall to the upper wall, and wherein the height of the flow passage is substantially constant from the impeller chamber to the volute chamber.
 6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the sidewall includes a lip that extends vertically beyond the volute lower wall.
 7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the housing lower wall joins the sidewall along a rounded corner segment.
 8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the housing includes an upper shell and a lower shell joined to the upper shell such that the flow passage is defined by the upper shell and the lower shell.
 9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 8, wherein the housing lower wall joins the sidewall along a rounded corner segment, wherein the rounded corner segment includes a first curved segment defined by the lower shell and a second curved segment defined by the upper shell.
 10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 8, wherein each of the upper shell and the lower shell is constructed of injection-molded plastic.
 11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the volute defines an outlet, and wherein the volute chamber has a cross-sectional area that increases as the volute chamber extends circumferentially towards the volute outlet.
 12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the volute joins the upper wall along a radial outer edge of the upper wall, and wherein the volute extends circumferentially around the upper wall.
 13. A power head for a vacuum cleaner, the power head comprising: a housing including an upper wall, a lower wall, a radial outer sidewall, and a volute, wherein the volute defines a volute chamber, wherein the upper and lower walls define an impeller chamber, and wherein the upper wall, the lower wall, and the sidewall define a flow passage that extends from the impeller chamber to the volute chamber; a motor mounted to one of the upper wall and the lower wall; and an impeller connected to the motor and disposed within the impeller chamber; wherein the volute is disposed radially outward from the flow passage and includes a lower wall that extends radially outward from the sidewall and around the perimeter of the sidewall.
 14. The power head of claim 13, wherein the volute defines a volute chamber inlet through which air flow from the flow passage enters the volute chamber, wherein the volute chamber inlet is located along a radial inner portion of the volute such that air flow through the flow passage is directed into the volute chamber through the volute chamber inlet and radially outward from the flow passage.
 15. The power head of claim 13, wherein the housing includes an upper shell and a lower shell, and wherein each of the upper shell and the lower shell is constructed of injection-molded plastic.
 16. The power head of claim 13, wherein the flow passage has a height extending from the lower wall to the upper wall, and wherein the height of the flow passage is substantially constant from the impeller chamber to the volute chamber.
 17. The power head of claim 13, wherein the volute defines an outlet, and wherein the volute chamber has a cross-sectional area that increases as the volute chamber extends circumferentially towards the volute outlet.
 18. The power head of claim 13, wherein the impeller rotates about a rotational axis, and wherein the volute and the impeller are arranged such that the impeller is located entirely on a first side of a horizontal plane that is orthogonal to the impeller rotational axis, and the volute chamber is located entirely on a second side of the horizontal plane.
 19. The power head of claim 13, wherein the sidewall includes a lip that extends vertically beyond the volute lower wall.
 20. The power head of claim 13, wherein the housing lower wall joins the sidewall along a rounded corner segment. 21-22. (canceled) 